For the first ten years of my life, I was an only child. I guess my parents didn’t believe in baby-sitters or perhaps couldn’t afford them, I just remember accompanying my parents to a lot of adult events. At each, I was told to “be seen and not heard.” So, I grew up being rather…
Eleven years ago, my Granddaughter put me on Facebook, saying I was getting too “old foggie” and I needed Facebook. I love Facebook. It is my life-connection to literally thousands of friends – friends from my teen-age years (although age is taking its toll on this group); friends from college student days; friends from Seminary…
I had never noticed it before. I recently paid a visit to a medical doctor’s office. When he entered the exam room, he greeted me with, “Dr. Crawford! What’s up with you today?” Hmmm! A Dr. greeting another Dr. Several years ago, we spent a few days with a missionary family in another country. After…
Since the sixteenth century, Japanese people have observed bōnenkai, literally, “forget the year gathering.” These gatherings have recently included destruction of the previous year’s calendars, as a symbolic way of moving on to the next year. There are other ingredients to their gatherings in which I’d prefer not to participate, but I sure like the…
The gifts are still under the tree. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have come and gone, and the gifts are still under the tree. No torn wrappings on the floor. No dirty dishes still in the sink. No family members still discussing their gifts. A Grinch stole Christmas, and his name was Covid-19. Six days…
My Christmas sermon was ready to be preached. Then I was exposed to COVID, and placed on a fourteen day quarantine. On Saturday evening, I was advised not to preach the following morning – too late for the church to set up the technology for me to deliver the sermon via media. The unpreached sermon…
I have a long-time friend and colleague who recently tested positive for COVID and pneumonia. He is currently hospitalized in the ICU area of a major hospital. When I talked with him, he shared with me that he told his Dr. that hundreds of people were praying for him. Then he asked the Dr. if…
Times have changed. People are staying home from church services in record numbers – and blaming the COVID virus. History has shown when we are forced by circumstances to change, we eventually get comfortable with the change, and even prefer the new methods to the old. John Cage, an American composer, artist, and philosopher, confessed,…
In the late 1960s, I commuted to Seminary with an interesting group of want-a-be-ministers. Our carpool consisted of two soon-to-be Senior Pastors, one military Chaplain who would become a denominational servant, one President of an international ministry organization, and one future seminary professor. Four mornings a week, we met at six o’clock, pilled in to…
It’s unclear if on that first Thanksgiving, the colonists and Native Americans ate turkey at their feast. More likely, they indulged in other interesting foods like lobster, and seal. What is certain is that a tradition developed that called for the U.S. President to declare Thanksgiving as a holiday anew each year, until Thomas Jefferson…